Wine

By Leigh Pomeroy

The glory of Grenache

As I write this in mid-September, I'm sipping sipping a 2021 Fossil Point Grenache Rosé from from San Luis Obispo County, which hugs the Pacific Ocean along California's Central Coast.

The wine is pale pink, perfumed with hints of mandarin orange and grapefruit. Technically dry, it still has plenty of juicy, citrusy fruit to make it seem just a tad sweet.

This is a characteristic of Grenache rosé, undoubtedly the most popular rosé on the planet, made in great quantities along the Rhône River and in southern France, in California and to a lesser extent in Washington. In fact, about a half-century ago, Almadén Grenache Rosé from California was one of the best-selling wines in the U.S., prominently available in gallon jugs.

Flash forward to 2022 when the red grenache grape, once one of the most widely planted in California — having given up its popularity to cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir since — is making a comeback.

The reasons are obvious: First, it's well-matched to California's and eastern Washington's hotter climates. Second, it yields well yet also thrives in poor, even rocky soils; and when yield is limited, it can create intensely flavored, concentrated wines that last for decades.

Grenache's historical home is France's Rhône Valley and its Mediterranean coast. It also grows in Spain, where it is known as garnacha and bottled as a varietal, but often blended into powerhouse wines like Priorat from northeastern Spain near the Mediterranean.

Grenache is best known for its commanding presence in Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, the oldest and largest of France's Appellation d'Origine Protégées or AOPs, which until recently were known as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlées or AOCs. (Go figure! It's the French, OK?)

A few of the best Châteauneuf-du-Papes, like the incredible Chateau Rayas, are 100% grenache, but most are blends of grenache in the dominant role, followed by syrah, mourvèdre and up to 10 more varietals, some white, according to the appellation's legal definition.

While Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be quite pricey, similar less expensive grenache-dominant blends are found in Rhône wines demarked as Gigondas (a personal favorite), Vacqueyras, Lirac, Cairanne, Rasteau, Vinsobres and Côtes du Rhône.

The grenache grape can itself breed some confusion because it comes in three colors: red, gris (gray or slightly colored) and blanc (white). Grenache blanc is sometimes added to red

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but most likely it's found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc (terrific, rare and pricey), some Côtes du Rhône blancs and in southern French white blends.

Grenache gris is mostly a contributor to southern French rosés, although more commonly those rosés are made from red

Grenache with only a modicum of skin contact.

Arguably the most pre-eminent of these rosés is Tavel, an appellation that produces only rosé.

Next door to Tavel is Lirac, an appellation that produces red, rosé and white, with the red and rosé based on grenache rouge and gris, and the white often on grenache blanc. All are good values but not easy to find.

Further south lies the great swath of French vineyards that literally span from Spain in the west to Italy in the east. A large proportion of the grapes here are grenache, primarily red, which are a key component of Provençal wines, both red and rosé, the latter being shipped worldwide for summer and fall consumption, most within the year in which they're made.

Until recently, I was a drink-rosé-within-the-yearafter-it's-made fanatic, but I've learned that, more and more, some rosés improve with time in the bottle. How do you tell which to hold and which to drink now?

First, the color gives a clue. Darker rosés have had greater skin contact with the red grapes from which they're made; thus, they probably have a bit more tannins from the skins, providing natural antioxidants. Second, after tasting the wine after you first buy it, does it have a nice crisp taste, indicating good acidity? Wines with good natural acidity last longer than flabby ones. Third, does it possess plenty of fruit (not to be confused with sweetness)?

If the rosé has two or all three of these characteristics, it could very well be a better wine in two or three years after the vintage.

In California, Washington and Australia, grenache is often blended with syrah and mourvèdre to create wines labeled as "GSM" to mimic the blend of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. While these are sometimes excellent wines, from my taste experience they rarely match the real thing.

À vôtre santé!